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2 Building Networks for Market Access Lessons Learned from The Rural Knowledge Network (RKN) Pilot Project for East Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) FAO/Government Cooperative Programme Prepared by Paul Nyende under the overall guidance of the Research and Extension Branch Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2011

3 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO. ISBN All rights reserved. FAO encourages the reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Non-commercial uses will be authorized free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate FAO copyright materials, and all queries concerning rights and licences, should be addressed by to or to the Chief, Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome, Italy. For further information on this report, please contact: Karin Nichterlein Agricultural Research Officer Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla Rome, Italy Photo credit: P. Nyende (Cover, figure 4, 6 and 9), K. Nichterlein (figure 5, 8 and 13) FAO 2011

4 Contents List of abbreviations... Overview... Acknowledgements... viii 1. Introduction Background and rationale The pro-poor market access business model Project approach Main achievements Establishment of a commercial relationship between business operators Invention of a way to operate a market intelligence service commercially Demonstration of the commercial viability of IBM business opportunity Testing of a knowledge management system for commercial operations Operation of Transaction Security Services (TSS) brand Overcoming trade barriers with Cash-on-the-Bag Key activities Establishment of a market information system Agribusiness development (Mentoring) Learning platform Development of commercial market access businesses Capacity development of market access players Successes, main outcomes and impacts Challenges and constraints Learning from the RKN project - best practices Conclusions and recommendations iv v iii

6 Overview The original aim of the Rural Knowledge Network (RKN) was to make more information available, specifically about markets, to smallholder farmers. The core idea was to provide information to farmers and traders about current market prices in different markets around the country. This was done by building a network of entrepreneurs who collected price information regularly and sent it to a central collecting Internet platform facility. This facility then sent out the consolidated price information for all of the different markets by mobile phone Short Message Service (SMS) to many of the same people, who posted it on information boards in local markets. This was implemented through a business model that used a rapid and cost-effective mobile phone SMS communication system between many entrepreneurs located in widely dispersed rural areas. The business model comprises clients, network members and support service providers. Clients are all the players in the value chain, particularly small farmers and larger-scale buyers. Network members are independent rural entrepreneurs at national, regional and village levels, each level operating as an independent business in its own right. The business proposition was that spreading agricultural market intelligence was not just about price information and marketing opportunities, but also about products that need to attract a range of customers that are widely spread out in the rural areas. This pro-poor market access business communication network and communication model has huge potential, but it is also a challenge because the business model is totally new to the East Africa region. Thus, in an effort to set up and nurture these commercial market access service networks, the RKN initiative tried to address key questions faced by the network members: v

7 What are the challenges of the market access network members at all the three levels of operation and clients? What are the ways through which the network members can earn their incomes? What key attributes, skills and characteristics should the network members have? Should network members be inside or outside the market chain? How will the entrepreneurs/network members start up and establish their businesses? By the end of the project in March 2010, the RKN project had given birth to a network comprising three National Marketing Companies (NMCs), i.e. AgriNet Uganda Ltd, in Uganda, AgriTrade Co. Ltd, in Kenya, and Rural Entrepreneurs Network Tanzania (RENTCO) in Tanzania. Each company operates a network of rural entrepreneurs covering several districts within a region. The network evolved into a three-tier structure to provide market access services on a commercial basis in each country with the National Marketing Company (NMC) at the national level, the Regional Managers (RMs) and Market Access Companies (MACs) in the regions and the Information Board Managers (IBMs) at the village level. The key achievements of the RKN initiative were: establishment of a commercial relationship between business operators; invention of a way to operate a market intelligence service commercially; demonstration of the commercial viability of IBM business opportunity; testing of a knowledge management system for commercial operations in real life practice; development and testing of the operations of Transaction Security Services (TSS); overcoming of trade barriers with Cash-on-the-Bag (CoB) financing. vi

8 The RKN project worked in a very flexible and fast-changing environment, thanks to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for allowing room for this flexibility without which the action research, changes in the business model, project management structure and lessons generated would not have been achieved. The managers of RKN were able to make flexible and robust responses to changing situations and lessons ploughed back into the learning. Due to the demonstrated benefits and impact the RKN project has shown to small-scale farmers and local traders, some new projects and partnerships have emerged such as with the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) in Uganda, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) in Kenya and Zain, a telecommunications company in Tanzania. Supporting small-scale farmers to access markets is highly recommended in East Africa and it should be a priority in all agricultural development programmes in the region. The RKN momentum should be continued by strengthening and expanding the commercial market access service network set up under the RKN project. Further efforts should be made to address the gaps and needs identified during project implementation. Specifically, a mechanism and access to funds for providing short-term trade credit to facilitate small farmer trade should be established. Current trials providing credit to transaction secure deals should be rolled out so that farmers can be paid Cash-on-the-Bag/Cash-on-the- Horn. The rural market access business networks established under the project should also be expanded to reach commercially viable scales through the ongoing IFAD, FAO and other development programmes in the region. vii

9 Acknowledgements The Rural Knowledge Network (RKN) Pilot Project for East Africa (GCP/RAF/401/IFA) was implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It was funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and by FAO through in-kind contributions. Our thanks go to Agridea and Rural African Ventures Investment (RAVI) for launching and supporting the new business model, and to IFAD and FAO for supporting and nurturing the business model thus enabling market access. This was the first project which established private enterprises and helped them on their way to becoming selfsufficient and functioning businesses in a fast-changing environment. Through this innovative and flexible approach, invaluable lessons were learned which otherwise would not have been achieved. The managers of RKN in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya were able to meet the challenges of the situation and constantly adapted the working modalities of the enterprises on a learning-by-doing basis. FAO facilitated the development of the three national market access networks established under AgriTrade in Kenya, Rural Entrepreneurs Network Tanzania (RENTCO) in Tanzania and AgriNet in Uganda. These commercial networks were created to provide a regular service for the smallholder farmers to gain easy market access for their produce. The network within each country was driven by a strong team of Regional (Transaction Security) Managers, backed by commercial business entities (Market Access Companies and Information Board Managers) at district and village levels respectively. The dedicated work of these strong country teams of rural entrepreneurs ensured the testing of the business concepts and ideas and was highly appreciated. The technical support and mentoring of the network members was done by Agridea and RAVI, with timely support from Traidcraft. Special thanks go to the business community and network members for delivering the goods and services using this unique approach. viii

10 Introduction 1. Introduction 1.1 Background and rationale Agricultural markets in the East Africa region are characterized by a myriad of constraints, among them being very long chains of transaction between the farmer and the consumer; poor access to reliable and timely market information; small volumes of products of highly varied quality offered by individual smallholder farmers; and poorly structured and inefficient markets. This has resulted in wastage of produce and low prices to smallholder farmers. Lack of timely and relevant market information to all market actors results in distrust and therefore sometimes dishonesty. Under such circumstances dubious intermediary actors have flourished and further damaged the trust relationships required for efficient and profitable marketing along the whole value chain. The RKN initiative intended to address some of these gaps in the region. As the name suggests, the original aim of the RKN was to make more information available, specifically about markets, to smallholder farmers. The core idea was to provide information to farmers and traders about current market prices in different markets around the country. This was done by building a network of entrepreneurs who regularly collected the price information and sent it to a central collecting Internet platform facility. This facility then sent out the consolidated price information for all of the different markets by SMS to many of the same people, who posted it on information boards in local markets. The business proposition was to build a market access business network that uses a rapid communications and market intelligence sharing system among its members and clients. The core business of the network was to collect and disseminate market intelligence and broker deals between buyers and sellers. The network members comprised entrepreneurs located in widely dispersed rural and urban areas for more efficient marketing between rural producers and urban consumers. The network was charged with the role of spreading intelligence to a wide range of clients, not

11 Introduction just about marketing opportunities, but also about products that need to attract rural customers. Such business communication networks have huge potential, but they are also a challenge because the business model is new to East Africa. Thus, in an effort to set up and nurture commercial market access business networks to provide market access services to value chain actors, the RKN project tried to establish and nurture a market access network consisting of entrepreneurs, either as individuals or as small companies. The network developed into a three-tier structure in each country (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) consisting of front line service providers as Information Board Managers, Local/Regional Market Access Companies with Regional Managers and a National Marketing Company. The key commercial services developed and offered by RKN were market intelligence and transaction security services (TSS). The unique selling proposition for these services offered by RKN members is that the members, on behalf of their clients and for a commission, take care of major problems associated with the buying and selling of farm produce. The market access network members make sure that the right quantity and quality of product is delivered at the right time in the right place for the right price to the buyer. In order to remain commercial and viable, the network had to address key questions that their businesses faced: Who are the clients of the market access network and what are their marketing concerns? What are the ways in which market access network members can earn their income/money? What are the key characteristics of the various network members? Should the market access network members be inside or outside the market chain? How will the network start and be nurtured to reach commercial viability?

12 Introduction 1.2 The pro-poor market access business model The business comprises clients, network members who constitute the key players in the business and support service providers. Clients are all the value chain actors, particularly small farmers, agroprocessors, supermarkets, agro-input dealers and larger-scale buyers. Network members can either be individual independent rural entrepreneurs or small companies that are interested and willing to invest in providing market access services. The business model recognizes three levels of business operation that are required to act as a network and each operation is a business in its own right. The three business levels (Figure 1) are: 1. Information Board Managers (IBMs) these individuals manage an information board business and are at the front line of the business with regular and direct contact with farmers and traders. They are dispersed in rural villages and market places where they are responsible for efficient movement of information and organizing transactions in the field. 2. Market Access Companies (MACs) are individual entrepreneurs or small-scale companies at the district level that manage a local network of IBMs and organize transactions at their level. They ensure that the IBMs in their location access and share market intelligence, secure and coordinate local deals between farmers and traders, and provide technical backstopping and mentoring especially in financial management and business development services 3. Regional Managers (RMs) are also individual entrepreneurs with relatively high business skills who organize the coordination of the district level network members (i.e. IBMs and MACs) for sourcing large volume deals for large buyers. They also mentor the MACs and IBMs in their network.

13 Introduction Figure 1. RKN market access network Farmer Traders National Marketing Company (NMC) Regional Managers (RMs) Information Board Managers (IBMs) Market Access Companies (MACs) National Marketing Companies (NMCs) - These provide network members (i.e. IBMs, MACs and RMs) with the market intelligence SMS platform as well as the business-to-business (B2B) learning services that are critical for running an independent market access business. In essence, the NMCs are service providers who license all network members to share market intelligence and collaborate in trade with each other. Three service provider NMCs have been set up: AgriNet in Uganda, AgriTrade in Kenya, and the Rural Entrepreneur Network in Tanzania (RENTCO). Network members offer services paid for by the clients in the form of commissions, SMS subscription fees or margins on sales. The following services or products are offered: market intelligence (SMS price bulletins, trade alerts, advertisements on information boards); product marketing opportunities (agro-inputs, processed flour, mobile money, water tanks, etc.); transaction security services (TSS) (commodity trade facilitation on commission basis).

14 Introduction Service providers in each country (AgriNet in Uganda, AgriTrade in Kenya, and Rural Entrepreneur Network in Tanzania, RENTCO) provide the tools that the network members need in order to offer their services to clients. The service providers also maintain the standard of the services through a licence agreement they have with all network members. To maintain their licence all network members are required to share market intelligence, report on their business performance, and collaborate in trade with each other. Figure 2. Pro-poor market access business model AgriNet AgriTrade RENTCO RENTCO IBMs MACs RMs Service Provider Network members SMS platform B2B learning TSS Finance Small farmers Supermarkets Farmers associations Small traders etc. Clients TSS Market intelligence Product marketing The tools provided to the network members by the service providers are: SMS platform for sharing market intelligence; business-to-business (B2B) learning platform for sharing new business opportunities; transaction security service (TSS) tracking platform; finance for short-term credit on registered transactions.

15 Introduction Reliable access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services is crucial to the operation of the market intelligence and brokerage businesses. Modern communication technologies, such as the mobile phone SMS, and the Internet, have greatly increased the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of information exchange and hence helped cut through the prevalent distrust along marketing chains. This has helped clean up the inefficiency of marketing. The combination of improved efficiency and transparency along the chain has been demonstrated to result in marked increases in payments to small farmers for what they can market. The business model therefore ensures that poor people benefit from business, both as clients and as entrepreneurs. Smallscale farmers obtain better prices for their produce and better access to more lucrative markets.

16 Project approach 2. Project approach The design and implementation of the Rural Knowledge Network (RKN) Concept evolved and changed substantially during the course of project implementation. However, in a nutshell, the major thrust was on supporting the emergence, formation and operationalization of a rural business network of RMs, MACs and IBMs. The process involved identification, screening, selection, coaching, training, mentoring and licensing of small rural entrepreneurs (MACs and IBMs) by their NMCs. The flow chart in Figure 3 illustrates the critical steps needed to become an IBM. Figure 3. Steps to becoming an IBM network member Recruit entrepreneur (IBM) Introductory training on IBM biz. Mentoring (face-toface and online) License as IBM Develop own network of buyers and sellers Manage registered TSS deals Renew licence Operational IBM The project used an action learning approach. Through peerto-peer or business-to- business (B2B) learning over the Linking Local Learners (LLL) platform (www.linkinglearners.net) the RKN brought together enterprising individuals who generated various business lessons and ideas that were implemented and documented through an action learning process into best business practices, hence putting together a business model.

17 Project approach In the third and final year (2009) of project implementation, the network members at local, district and national levels focused on commercialization of market access services to small farmers and other value chain actors. The RKN thus moved towards brokering deals as a core income generating activity, with the information boards driving the business and deals brokerage operation. Agridea was contracted to provide technical assistance to the companies implementing the project: AgriNet in Uganda, AgriTrade in Kenya, and Marketing Partner 1 in Tanzania. Technical assistance was given in supporting and mentoring the emerging commercial networks so that they could grow and sustain their market access services. The market access services provided by the networks included market intelligence as well as assistance with dealmaking and the selling of manufactured products. While these services are now being offered commercially, their scale of operation is still very small. The network coverage is not large enough and business turnover is not high enough. Individual network members are making small profits but not enough to pay for the national technical support services they depend on. Collectively, network members cannot yet make enough money to cover their support service costs. These costs are inflated at present because of the large amount of capacity building and R&D required to set up the network. Nevertheless, business plans indicate commercial viability depends on a larger network doing more transactions. In terms of project structure and management, project activities were coordinated by a Regional Project Coordinator and National Coordinators working under the supervision of the FAO country representatives and FAO s Lead Technical Unit (LTU) for project technical matters at headquarters. This implementation and management structure changed in the second year of the 1 While Marketing Partner was the RKN project implementing company in Tanzania, Rural Entrepreneur Network in Tanzania (RENTCO), was established to take over the function temporarily filled by Marketing Partner when the project finished

18 Project approach project to direct contracting of the NMCs by FAO to establish and develop market access networks in their respective countries. This change came about when the Project Steering Committee meeting held in Rome (20 February 2008) reviewed the project implementation plan and agreed that the National Coordinators and the backup companies they established at the national level, as well as the mentors, the MACs at district level and IBMs at local level, needed to learn how to work in a commercial manner in order to be accepted by the private sector clients in the market chain and not to be seen as a public service provided for free. This project management structure was maintained until the end of the project in March 2010.

19 Main achievements 3. Main achievements The main achievements of the RKN initiative over the three years of project implementation period were: 3.1 Establishment of a commercial relationship between business operators The project established and nurtured a growing network of market intermediary companies who provide market intelligence and market access services for small farmers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. In each country a national marketing company was set up and each one operates a network of rural entrepreneurs covering several districts within a region. In Kenya, 16 MACs and 22 IBMs were established and licensed by the end of the RKN project (March 2010); in Uganda, 12 MACs and 18 IBMs, were established and licensed, while in Tanzania only five MACs and 12 IBMs are operational. Commercial relationships have developed between network members and those RMs of the NMCs who have set up their own regional network businesses. When the project ended, the RMs ceased being NMC staff because NMCs had no funds to keep a large number of staff. Instead, RMs have now developed an agent relationship with the NMC and are in the process of forming regional business network companies. In Kenya and Uganda the owners of these regional business networks are already developing commercial relationships with their NMCs to obtain the needed support services. The commercial relationship between NMCs and the network members is effected through a licence agreement. The agreement spells out the services to be supplied and the payments to be made for them. Payments include a service fee, a cut on the commission of TSS registered deals, and a margin on each SMS subscription sold. To date, every member of the network runs an independent market access service business. 10

20 Main achievements 3.2 Invention of a way to operate a market intelligence service commercially This was a major breakthrough whereby the network members (especially the IBMs) have consistently shown that the gathering and dissemination of relevant local market intelligence can operate on a commercially viable basis. They try to keep their costs for gathering and disseminating market intelligence low and instead increase their income from commissions on deals and advertising fees. This has made it possible for network members to profit from sharing market intelligence. All the network members need to run an IBM business are a mobile phone and cash to pay for sending an SMS regularly. Each morning they collect local market prices of commodities that are of interest to their clients and text them by SMS to their NMC (service provider). The service provider then sends them the prices of the markets and commodities of interest to them. Putting this information up on their information boards everyday brings clients to them. Clients ask to advertise on their boards and for assistance in finding buyers for their products. The charges IBMs put on these services easily cover their costs and provide a profit margin. IBMs confirm that the profits they are making are sufficient for them to continue providing local price information to the national service provider. These services sell well to farmers and traders. It has been demonstrated that a combination of main and local market prices with trade alerts (offers to buy and/or sell) is the information local clients (farmers and local traders) want. Moreover, small farmers appreciate the chance to advertise what they have to sell in the search for better prices. 3.3 Demonstration of the commercial viability of IBM business opportunity In the last year of project implementation, more and more IBMs reported regular incomes from advertising and commission on deals. More importantly, none of the successful IBMs has requested or received funding from the project to either launch or run their business operations. Rather, operating costs have 11

21 Main achievements been met out of incomes either from the information board or from their other businesses. Even less successful IBMs insist on continuing with their information board as they believe it will work for them eventually. Across the network it is now clear how the information boards business can be a profitable business for a rural entrepreneur. Figure 4. Sarah Mayanja, RM Uganda, training IBMs on mobile phone market intelligence SMS service Successful IBMs make good profits from the income streams this business opportunity provides. They sell advertising space on their information boards for those who wish to buy or sell a diverse range of products. IBMs take a small commission every time they assist sellers find a buyer or buyers find a seller. More recently, IBMs have been able to charge a monthly subscription fee for arranging for their clients to receive daily market price bulletins or trade alerts on their mobile phones as SMS text messages. While each transaction is small so is the cost. IBMs do not have to pay for their information boards as these are provided for free from the national service provider (in Kenya and Uganda). 12

22 Main achievements They do not have to pay for the market prices and trade alerts they receive each morning from the service provider. Market intelligence is shared among network members for free. However, they do not receive this information unless they share their own local market prices with the national service provider; so they pay for market intelligence by providing theirs for free. The service provider arranges for the exchange of market intelligence among all network members. They also provide: B2B learning services, TSS deals and product marketing. For these services network members will pay a nominal monthly licence or service fee once their businesses reach scale, that is, each network member earning at least USD 50 from SMS subscription sales and USD as commission from deals per annum. 3.4 Testing of a knowledge management system for commercial operations The Linking Local Learners (LLL) online platform (www. linkinglearners.net) provided network members with a tool to generate and manage knowledge about their business operations. Network members generated knowledge through peer-to-peer exchanges assisted by mentors, e.g. project consultants and the RMs. Mentoring peer exchange was a critical support service provided by the national service provider. Mentors encouraged peer exchanges between network members through workshops, face-to-face visits to their businesses and facilitating online learning exchanges. Knowledge generation focused on inventing and enhancing business operations and business opportunities. The knowledge generated through peer exchanges was captured in the form of operational procedures, stories of experiences, and briefs on lessons learned. These documents were then made available for use to network members on the LLL platform. It was not only network members who participated in the online exchanges; network members invited clients onto the platform, especially from among the farmer groups and buyers as well as supporters from local government, ministries and non-governmental organization (NGO) projects. Not all of those invited participated in the exchanges; many just followed the discussions. These lurkers 13

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